Content access

ABSTRACT

Techniques are described to provide content access. In an implementation, a determination is made at a client that a high-definition channel has content that matches content provided by a standard-definition channel. Access is provided to the content via the high-definition channel and access is restricted to the content via the standard-definition channel up the client is capable of outputting the content and high definition.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. Section 120 as acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/343,235, filed Dec.23, 2008, and titled “Content Access,” the entire disclosure of which isincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

The amount of content that is available to users and the way in whichusers may access that content is ever increasing. For example, users mayaccess a variety of content from cable and satellite television tostreaming content via the Internet. Consequently, users are now able toaccess hundreds of channels that may have different types of content,such as television programs that may include video-on-demand, movies,sporting events, and so on.

Because of the sheer amount of content that is available to users andthe various ways in which the content may be provided (e.g., standarddefinition versus high definition), however, users may find it difficultto locate particular content of interest. This may be furthercomplicated by the various types of clients that may be used to accessthe content, such as set-top boxes having personal video recorderfunctionality that may be difficult to initially set-up. Consequently,users may inadvertently forgo consumption of content that may be ofinterest to the user due to the difficulty in finding and consuming thecontent, especially during initial setup of the client.

SUMMARY

Techniques are described to provide content access. In animplementation, a determination is made at a client that ahigh-definition channel has content that matches content provided by astandard-definition channel. Access is provided to the content via thehigh-definition channel and access is restricted to the content via thestandard-definition channel based on whether the client is capable ofoutputting the content in high definition.

In an implementation, one or more computer readable media includeinstructions that are executable at a client to output an electronicprogram guide having a mode such that when the representation of atelevision program is selected for recording a television series thatincludes the television program is automatically selected for recordingwhen in the mode.

In an implementation, one or more computer-readable media includeinstructions that are executable by a client device to output anelectronic program guide having an option that is selectable to displayrepresentations of content that are available via one or more channelsduring primetime exclusively.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different instances in thedescription and the figures may indicate similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example implementationthat is operable to employ techniques related to content access.

FIG. 2 depicts a system in an example implementation showing a client ofFIG. 1 as receiving separate streams of matching content from the headend of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts a system in an example implementation in which an EPG ofFIG. 1 is output by the client to control access to content based oncapabilities of the client.

FIG. 4 depicts a system in an example implementation in which an accessmodule of FIG. 1 provides functionality to automatically record atelevision series when a television program in the television series isselected for recording.

FIG. 5 depicts a system in an example implementation in which the accessmodule of FIG. 1 configures the EPG to display content that is to bebroadcast during primetime exclusively.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exampleimplementation in which access is managed based on capabilities of aclient that is to output the content.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exampleimplementation in which an EPG is configured to include a mode to causeautomatic television series recording.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exampleimplementation in which an electronic program guide includesrepresentations of content broadcast during primetime exclusively.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an exampleimplementation in which a single representation is leverage to managematching content available from a plurality of sources.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

Clients having personal video recorder (PVR) functionality areincreasing in popularity due to time shifting functionality. Forexample, a user may set the client to record favorite televisionprograms using PVR functionality, such as through selection in anelectronic program guide (EPG). However, complexity of traditionalclients having PVR functionality may be intimidating for some users,especially for a first time user. For instance, users may be confrontedwith the challenge of learning how to use electronic program guide(EPG), find content that is popular and interesting to record, managerecordings that have already been scheduled, and so on.

Overcoming these challenges may be time-consuming and frustrating to theusers. For example, a traditional approach employed by a client havingPVR functionality was based on an implicit directive that users were tobrowse through the EPG to find interesting programs that the userswanted to record on their own. This may be overwhelming for some usersand may become more acute as the amount of EPG data that may bedelivered to the clients increases. Consequently, the users may beforced to browse through an ever increasing amount of data in an EPG offind particular content of interest. As a result, it may take monthsbefore the user has set the client to record each item of content thatthe user is interested in and thus take full advantage of the PVRfunctionality of the client.

Techniques are described to provide access to content. In animplementation, one such technique may make it easier for a user toaddress the challenges described above by leveraging EPG data associatedwith the content. For example, EPG data may be utilized to locatecontent that is to be broadcast during primetime to a client.Representations of this content may then be output in an electronicprogram guide such that a user may more readily locate particularcontent of interest. For example, a user may select a channel to look atcontent being aired during primetime on that channel in an EPG and fromthe EPG setup the recording of one or more items of content, furtherdiscussion of which may be found in relation to FIGS. 5 and 8.

In another implementation, access to the content may be managed based oncapabilities of the client to output the content as well as what contentis available to the client. For instance, in some instances ahigh-definition channel may have content that matches content providedvia a standard-definition channel, such as when the television networkprovides content as separate streams via respective channels tobroadcast the content in high definition and standard definition.However, inclusion of both channels in an EPG may be duplicative.Consequently, in this implementation access to channels having matchingcontent is granted or restricted based on the capabilities of the client(e.g., capability to output content in high definition). In anotherinstance, a determination may be made that a client has access tomatching content from a variety of different sources, such as “over theair,” satellite, cable, DSL, and so on. These different sources may berepresented using a single representation in a user interface (e.g., anEPG) such that management of which underlying source is used may happendynamically on a case by case basis. Further discussion of thesetechniques may be found in relation to FIGS. 3, 6 and 9.

In a further implementation, an electronic program guide includes adefault mode to cause a client having PVR functionality to be configuredto automatically record a television series when a television program isselected for recording. For example, a user may select a particulartelevision program to be recorded that is to be broadcast during aparticular time. Because the user may have an increased likelihood ofdesiring future broadcasts of the particular television program, theclient may be automatically configured to record the television seriesthat includes the television program. In this way, a user may quicklysetup a client having PVR functionality to record content of interestwithout manually selecting each individual television program ornavigating to another portion of the EPG to specify the televisionseries, further discussion of which may be found in relation to FIGS. 4and 7.

In the following discussion, an example environment is first describedthat is operable to perform techniques that relate to content access.Example procedures are then described that may be employed in theexample environment, as well as in other environments. Although thesetechniques are described as employed within a television environment andelectronic program guide in the following discussion, it should bereadily apparent that these techniques may be incorporated within avariety of other environments (e.g., other broadcast environments suchas radio) using a variety of content without departing from the spiritand scope thereof.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 100 in an exampleimplementation that is operable to employ techniques related to contentaccess. The illustrated environment 100 includes a head end 102 of anetwork operator, a client 104 and a content provider 106 that arecommunicatively coupled, one to another, via network connections 108,110. In the following discussion, the head end 102, the client 104 andthe content provider 106 may be representative of one or more entities,and therefore reference may be made to a single entity (e.g., the client104) or multiple entities (e.g., the clients 104, the plurality ofclients 104, and so on). Additionally, although a plurality of networkconnections 108, 110 are shown separately, the network connections 108,110 may be representative of network connections achieved using a singlenetwork or multiple networks. For example, network connection 108 may berepresentative of a broadcast network with back channel communication,an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and so on.

The client 104 may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, theclient 104 may be configured as a computer that is capable ofcommunicating over the network connection 108, such as a desktopcomputer, a mobile station, an entertainment appliance, a set-top boxcommunicatively coupled to a display device as illustrated, a wirelessphone, and so forth. For purposes of the following discussion, theclient 104 may also relate to a person and/or entity that operate theclient. In other words, client 104 may describe a logical client thatincludes software and/or a device (e.g., a client device having aprocessor and memory as illustrated).

The content provider 106 includes one or more items of content 112. Thecontent 112 may include a variety of data, such as televisionprogramming, video-on-demand (VOD) files, and so on. The content 112 iscommunicated over the network connection 110 to the head end 102. In thefollowing discussion, content may also be referred to as “items ofcontent,” “a plurality of content,” “particular content,” and so on.

Content 112 communicated via the network connection 110 is received bythe head end 102 and may be stored as one or more items of content 114.The content 114 may be the same as or different from the content 112received from the content provider 106. The content 114, for instance,may include additional data for broadcast to the client 104.

One example of this additional data is illustrated in FIG. 1 aselectronic program guide (EPG) data 116. The EPG data 116 may beconfigured to describe the content 114 being broadcast by the head end102, such as a time of broadcast (e.g., “airing”), genre, format (e.g.,high definition versus standard definition), actors, director, title,and so on. The EPG data 116 may be obtained from an EPG database forbroadcast to the client 104. Distribution from the head end 102 to theclient 104 may be accommodated in a number of ways, including cable,radio frequency (RF), microwave, digital subscriber line (DSL),satellite, via Internet Protocol (IP) connection, and so on. Althoughthe EPG data 116 is illustrated as being provided by the head end 102for the sake of simplicity of the figure, it should be readily apparentthat the EPG data 116 may originate from a wide variety of sources, suchas a standalone third-party provider (e.g., a website).

The client 104, as previously stated, may be configured in a variety ofways to receive the content 114 and the EPG data 116 over the networkconnection 108. The client 104 typically includes hardware and softwareto transport and decrypt content 114 and the EPG data 116 received fromthe head end 102 for rendering by the illustrated display device.Although a display device is depicted in FIG. 1, a variety of otheroutput devices are also contemplated, such as speakers.

The client 104 may also include personal video recorder (PVR)functionality. For instance, the client 104 may include memory 118 torecord content 114 and EPG data 116 as content 120 and EPG data 122,respectively. The memory 118 may be configured in a variety of ways,such as a hard disk drive, a removable computer-readable medium (e.g., awritable digital video disc), semiconductor based memory, and so on.Thus, content 120 that is stored in the memory 118 of the client 104 maybe copies of the content 114 that was streamed from the head end 102.

The client 104 includes a communication module 124 that is executable onthe client 104 to control content output, such as through the use of oneor more “command modes” to tune to a particular channel, orderpay-per-view content, and so on. The command modes may also provide PVRfunctionality such as to provide non-linear playback of the content 120(i.e., time shift the playback of the content 120) such as pause,rewind, fast forward, slow motion playback, and the like which issometimes referred to as “trick modes”.

The head end 102 is illustrated as including a manager module 126. Themanager module 126 is representative of functionality to configurecontent 114 for output (e.g., streaming) over the network connection 108to the client 104. The manager module 126, for instance, may configurecontent 112 received from the content provider 106 to be suitable fortransmission over the network connection 108, such as to “packetize” thecontent 112 for distribution over the Internet, configuration for aparticular broadcast channel, map the content 112 to particular channelsfor broadcast, and so on.

Thus, in the environment 100 of FIG. 1, the content provider 106 maybroadcast the content 112 over a network connection 110 to amultiplicity of network operators, an example of which is illustrated ashead end 102. The head end 102 may then stream the content 114 over anetwork connection 108 to a multitude of clients, an example of which isillustrated as client 104. The client 104 may then store the content 114in the memory 118 as content 120 (such as when the client 104 isconfigured to include personal video recorder (PVR) functionality)and/or render the content 114 immediately for output as it is received.

The client 104 is illustrated as executing the communication module 124on a processor 128, which is also storable in memory 118. Processors 128are not limited by the materials from which they are formed or theprocessing mechanisms employed therein. For example, processors may becomprised of semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., electronicintegrated circuits (ICs)). In such a context, processor-executableinstructions may be electronically-executable instructions.Additionally, although a single memory 118 is shown for the client 104,a wide variety of types and combinations of memory may be employed, suchas random access memory (RAM), hard disk memory, removable mediummemory, and other types of computer-readable media.

The communication module 124 is also illustrated as including an accessmodule 130, an EPG module 132, and a mapping module 134. The accessmodule 130 is representative of functionality to manage access tocontent. In an implementation, this access may be managed at the client104 based on hardware and software content capabilities 136 of theclient 104 to output content 114. For instance, the hardware andsoftware content capabilities 136 may support high-definition output,e.g., video and/or audio. Accordingly, the access module 130 may grantaccess to the high-definition content and restrict access tostandard-definition content when matching content is available to theclient 104.

For example, the access module 130 may communicate with the EPG module132 to form an EPG 138 that includes representations of content.Additionally, inclusion of representations in the EPG 138 may be basedon the hardware and software content capabilities 136. When the client104 includes hardware and software content capabilities 136 to displayhigh definition content, for instance, the EPG 138 may be formed toinclude representations of content 114 that is provided viahigh-definition channels and not that matching content that is providedvia one or more standard-definition channels.

In another example, the access module 130 may communicate with a mappingmodule 134 to form a channel map 140. The channel map 140 may beutilized by the communication module 124 to control which channels areavailable to a user, e.g., such as via “channel up” or “channel down”control functions, by typing in a numerical identifier of the channel,and so on. Accordingly, when the client 104 includes hardware andsoftware content capabilities 136 to display high-definition content,the channel map 140 may be formed such that the high-definition channelsand not the standard-definition channels that provide matching contentare available. Thus in this instance the user is automatically providedaccess to high-definition channels, which may be provided even in aninstance in which the user requests a standard-definition channel (e.g.,by redirecting), further discussion of which may be found in relation toFIG. 6.

Although the functionality of the access module 130 has been discussedat the client 104, the functionality may be incorporated throughout theenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 and elsewhere such as at a standalone website.For example, the head end 102 may incorporate this functionality asrepresented by access module 142 to form the EPG 138 and/or channel map140 for communication to the client 104 over the network connection 108.

Thus, as described above the access module 130 may leverage EPG data 116that describes content 114 in a variety of ways to manage contentaccess. For example, the access modules 130, 142 may form logicalgroupings around popular content, primetime content and other logicalgroupings of content to help a user setup a recording for favoritecontent. This may be performed by the access modules 130, 142 throughfiltering and/or consolidating the EPG data 122 to present options to auser to setup recordings. For example, the user may select a channel inthe EPG 138 and look at representations of the television programs to bebroadcast (i.e., “aired”) during primetime on that channel. The user maythen setup the recordings from the EPG 138 by selecting representationsof those television programs. This example may be extended to a movieportal when the user wants to schedule recording of movies by presentingthe user with information about upcoming movies.

In another example, the access module 142 may create a multi-dimensionallist of popular content and deliver the list to the client 104 via thenetwork connection 108. This list may then be presented to the user toschedule recordings. For instance, a user may be provided with a list(e.g., through the EPG 138) of the twenty most popular televisionprograms being broadcast by the head end 102. The user could select thetelevision programs from this list to cause the communication module 124to record those television programs to memory 118 (e.g., included ascontent 120) using PVR functionality. Other groupings are alsocontemplated, such as groupings of late night talk shows, daytime talkshows, children's programming, newly-broadcast content, “by channel,”and so on. In this way, a user interested in the represented content inthe EPG 138 may be presented with a selection of content that falls inthat group and quickly setup the recordings.

These techniques may support a variety of different user scenarios. In afirst time user scenario, for instance, a user subscribes to the serviceprovided by a network operator of the head end 102. A service technicianfrom the network operator may setup the client 104 at a customer'slocation (e.g., the customer's house) to receive content 114 via thenetwork connection 108 from the head end 102. When the client 104 isfirst switched on, EPG data 116 that specifies popular content may bedownloaded to the client 104 via the network connection 108. The client104 may then present an option to guide the user through a recordationprocess. Selection of the option may cause the client 104 to “walk theuser” through this process to setup recordings.

In an experienced user scenario, the user may leverage these techniquesto manage recordings from a central location in the EPG 138. Forinstance, the EPG 138 (when so configured) may provide an efficient toolfor users to setup recordings of popular content, primetime content, andso on from these groupings. The previous techniques may also beconfigured to inform the user of scheduling conflicts, enable a user toset a recording for content that is no longer being broadcast in thehope of a broadcast being performed in the future, and so on.

It should be noted that one or more of the entities shown in FIG. 1 maybe further divided (e.g., the head end 102 may be implemented by aplurality of servers in a distributed computing system), combined (e.g.,the head end 102 may incorporate functionality of the content provider106), and so on. Thus the environment 100 of FIG. 1 is illustrative ofone of a plurality of different environments that may employ thedescribed techniques.

Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implementedusing software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed-logic circuitry), manualprocessing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms“module”, “functionality”, “engine” and “logic” as used herein generallyrepresent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In thecase of a software implementation, for instance, the module,functionality, or logic represents program code that performs specifiedtasks when executed on a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program codecan be stored in one or more computer-readable memory devices, such asthe memory 118. The features of the content access techniques areplatform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented ona variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety ofprocessors.

FIG. 2 depicts a system 200 in an example implementation showing theclient 104 as capable of receiving separate streams of matching contentfrom the head end 102. The head end 102 is illustrated as beingconfigured to stream content 114 to the client 104 over the networkconnection 108. The network connection 108 includes a high-definitionchannel 202 and a standard-definition channel 204 to stream the content114 to the client 104.

In the illustrated system 200, the access module 130 of the client 104is configured to determine the hardware and software contentcapabilities 136 of the client 104. This determination may be performedin a variety of ways, such as by querying a driver of the client 104(e.g., to determine which software and/or hardware is available on theclient), to locate a preconfigured identifier that indicates thecapabilities of the client 104, based on an input received from a userto interaction with the user interface output by the client 104 (e.g.,to specify whether a television connected to a set-top box supports highdefinition), and so on.

The access module 130 may then manage access to the content 114 based onthe determination. For example, the access module 130 may review the EPGdata 116 to determine which channels have matching content 114. Theaccess module 130 may also determine that the hardware and softwarecontent capabilities 136 of the client 104 did not support ahigh-definition output. Accordingly, the access module 130 maycommunicate with the mapping module 134 to include thestandard-definition channel 204 in the channel map 140 and not thehigh-definition channel 202. In this way, the access module 130 mayrestrict access to the high-definition channels 202 and permit access tothe standard-definition channel 204.

In another example, the access module 130 may communicate with the EPGmodule 138 to form the EPG 13 such that representations of thestandard-definition channels 204 included representations of thehigh-definition channels 202. Thus in this example the EPG 138 is notcluttered with representations of high-definition channels that couldnot be output by the client 104 based on the hardware and softwarecontent capabilities 136 of the client 104. In an implementation, asingle representation may be output that, when selected, causes theaccess module 130 to dynamically select a stream on a case-by-casebasis.

For example, the access module 130 may make a dynamic determinationbased on what streams are currently being used. For instance, a housemay support two high-definition streams and two additional standarddefinition streams at any one time. If both high-definition streams are“in use” in other parts of the house, the access module 130 may performthe following actions. First, when a request is received for a channelhaving content that is available in high definition (HD) and standarddefinition (SD) versions, the access module may determine that bothavailable HD streams are in use. The access module 130 may thendetermine that an SD version is available and tune to the SD version.The access module may also inform a user that the SD stream is beingviewed since HD stream is not available. In an implementation, when theHD stream becomes available, the access module 130 may automaticallytune to that stream.

The access module 130 may also perform similar techniques whenscheduling future recordings. If each available HD stream is reservedfor other scheduled recordings, the access module 130 may “fall back” tousing the SD stream instead. Additionally, the access module 130 mayoutput a user interface to explain the current circumstances of therecording and offer options to the user, such as to switch resolutionsof the scheduled recordings. A variety of other examples are alsocontemplated, further discussion of which may be found in relation tothe following figure.

FIG. 3 depicts a system 300 in an example implementation in which theEPG 138 is output by the client 104 to control access to content basedon capabilities of the client 104. The access module 130 is illustratedas processing EPG data 116 that was received from the head end 102 inFIG. 1. During this processing, the access module 130 may determinewhich channels provide matching content, e.g., the same televisionprograms. The access module 130 may then communicate a listing to theEPG module 132 of television channels to be used to form the EPG 138which is illustrated as being output on a display device 202communicatively coupled to the client 104.

The illustrated EPG 138 is shown as having a first column ofrepresentations 206 of channels and a second column of representations208 of content that is available via the respective channels at aparticular point in time. In this example, the access module 130 maydetermine that channel 4 and channel 104 include matching content, whichin this instance is an NFC football game. Likewise, the access module130 may also determine that channels 5 and 105 include matching content,which in this instance is an AFC football game. Thus, even though thecontent is to be displayed in different resolutions the content itselfthat is to be displayed matches e.g., is the same item of content suchas a television program, a radio show, and so on.

In this instance, the access module 130 may determine that the hardwareand software content capabilities 136 of the client 104 support highdefinition output. Accordingly, access module 130 may communicate thisinformation to the EPG module 132 such that representations of thehigh-definition channels (e.g., channels 104 and 105) and the respectivecontent available via those channels is output in the EPG 138, therebygiving access to those channels. The access module 130 may also excludestandard-definition channels (e.g., channels 4 and 5) andrepresentations of the respective content available via those channelsfrom being output in the EPG 138, which is illustrated in FIG. 3 throughthe use of phantom lines.

In an implementation, the representations may be configured to provide aconsistent user experience. For example, Channels 4 and 5 may haveexisted for decades and are therefore familiar to the user. However,channels 104 and 105 may be recent creations to provide HD content.Therefore, the EPG may be configured to output representations ofchannels 4 and 5, but redirect requests for the represented content ofthose channels to the respective HD channels. Thus, in this examplechannels 4 & 5 (and not channels 104 and 105) appear in the EPG.“Behind” those channel the access module 130 may route requests for thatcontent as described above, as well as to other sources, such as an OTA(over the Air) source, video-on-demand (VOD) source, and so on. Avariety of other techniques may also be used to permit and restrictaccess to channels based on the capabilities of the client 104, furtherdiscussion of which may be found in relation to FIG. 6.

FIG. 4 depicts a system 400 in an example implementation in which theaccess module 130 provides functionality to automatically record thetelevision series 402 when a television program 404 in the televisionseries 402 is selected for recording. In the illustrated example, atelevision program “Andy Reid Show” is selected in the EPG 138 forrecording. This selection may be performed in a variety of ways, such asthrough use of a cursor control device.

In response to the selection, the access module 130 may determinewhether the selected television program 404 is included in a televisionseries 402. For example, the access module 130 may utilize the EPG data116 to make this determination. When the television program 404 isincluded in a television series 402, the access module 130 may configurePVR functionality of the client 104 to record the television series 402.In an implementation, this functionality to automatically record thetelevision series 402 is implemented as a default mode. In this way,future episodes in the television series 402 of a television program 404may be automatically recorded and thus aide a user in setup of theclient 104 as previously described. Further discussion of recordation ofa television series 402 may be found in relation to FIG. 7.

FIG. 5 depicts a system 500 in an example implementation in which theaccess module 130 configures the EPG 138 to display content that is tobe broadcast during primetime exclusively. In the illustrated system200, the EPG module 132 is configured to provide an option 502 to forman EPG 138. The EPG 138 is configured in accordance with the option 502to output representations of primetime content 504 exclusively in theEPG 138.

As illustrated in a display of the EPG 138 on the display device 202 ofFIG. 5, representations of content are illustrated for channels onethrough five between the times of 7 and 11 p.m. Although in thisimplementation representations for the entirety of primetime aredisplayed together for channels one through five, it should be readilyapparent that other implementations are also contemplated, e.g.,navigating to representations displayed “off screen.” Further discussionof configuring an EPG to display representations of primetime contentmay be found in relation to FIG. 8.

Example Procedure

The following discussion describes content access techniques that may beimplemented utilizing the previously described environment, systems anddevices. Aspects of each of the procedures may be implemented inhardware, firmware, or software, or a combination thereof. Theprocedures are shown as a set of blocks that specify operationsperformed by one or more devices and are not necessarily limited to theorders shown for performing the operations by the respective blocks. Inportions of the following discussion, reference will be made to theenvironment 100 of FIG. 1 and systems 200-500 of FIGS. 2-5,respectively.

FIG. 6 depicts a procedure 600 in an example implementation in whichaccess is manage based on capabilities of a client that is output thecontent. A determination is made as to whether a client is capable ofdisplaying content in high definition (block 602). For example, theaccess module 130 of the communication module 124 may query the hardwareand software content capabilities 136 of the client 104. This query maybe performed in a variety of ways, such as via a investigating driversstored in memory 118 of the client 104, an identifier input by a user ofthe client 104 (e.g., to identify a specific display devicecommunicatively coupled to the client 104), and so on.

A determination is made at the client 104 that a high-definition channel202 has content that matches content provided by standard-definitionchannel 204 (block 604). For instance, the access module 130 may examineEPG data 116 to determine that the high-definition channel 202 streamscontent that matches the content streamed on the standard-definitionchannel 204. In another example, the determination may be based on anidentification of the content provider 106 (e.g., call letters). Avariety of other examples are also contemplated without departing fromthe spirit and scope thereof.

Access to the content is provided via the high-definition channel andaccess to the content via the standard-definition channel is restrictedif the client is capable of outputting the content in high-definition(block 606). As previously described, this access may be managed in avariety of ways. For instance, the high-definition channel may be mappedto channel map of the client and the standard-definition channel may beexcluded from the channel map (block 608).

In another instance, a request for the standard-definition channel maybe redirected to the high-definition channel (block 610). For example,the client 104 of FIG. 3 may support output of high-definition content.Accordingly, the client 104 may redirect the request for channel 4(e.g., the standard definition content available via astandard-definition channel) to channel 104, which matches the contentof channel 4 but is provided in high definition. As previouslydescribed, the redirection may be performed “behind the scenes” suchthat a user is unaware of the redirection.

Representations of the high-definition channel and the content areincluded in an electronic program guide that does not include arepresentation of the standard-definition channels in the electronicprogram guide (block 612). Returning again to FIG. 3, therepresentations of the high-definition channel (e.g., channel 104) andthe content available via that channel (e.g., NFC football game) aredisplayed in the EPG 138. However, the representation of thestandard-definition channel (e.g., channel 4) is not displayed in theEPG 138. Thus, clutter which may be caused by repeating representationsof content (e.g., the NFC football game twice) and/or the representationof the standard-definition channel is removed from the EPG 138 in thisexample.

FIG. 7 depicts a procedure 700 in an example implementation in which anEPG is configured to include a mode to cause automatic television seriesrecording. An EPG is configured to include a mode such that when arepresentation of a television program is selected for recording, atelevision series that includes a television programs automaticallyselected for recording when in that mode (block 702). For example, theEPG 138 of FIG. 4 may be configured such that the mode is a defaultmode. When in the default mode, if the user selects a particulartelevision program (e.g., the Andy Reid show), the access module 130 maybe configured to include a television series 402 that includes thetelevision program 404. In this way, future episodes of the televisionprogram 404 may be automatically recorded by the client 104 using PVRfunctionality of the client coming e.g., such as to record the content120 to memory 118 of the client 104.

The automatic recordation may be performed directly by the access module120 without further input from a user and/or indirectly by querying theuser. For example, the access module 130 may output a confirmationscreen such that a user may confirm that the television series is to berecorded. In another example, the access module 130 may provide anoption to rank recordation of the television series 404 in relation toother television series that were previously scheduled for recording toresolve conflicts between the television series and more particularlyepisodes of television programs included in the television series.

The EPG may also be configured to include another mode is selectable tocause the specified television program to be recorded and not thetelevision series (block 704). For example, the EPG 138 may beconfigured to include another mode to switch out of the previouslydescribed a default mode such that a television series is notautomatically recorded. In this way, a user may set up the client 104when initially received for recording of the television series. After awhile, however, the user may have the client 104 configured as desiredfor recordation of content and therefore switch out of this default modeto record particular television programs of interest and not each futureepisode of the television series, e.g., such as to conserve space in thememory 118 of the client 104. A variety of other examples are alsocontemplated, such as through provision of the mode to record thetelevision series but not in a default mode as previously described.

FIG. 8 depicts a procedure 800 in an example implementation in which anelectronic program guide includes representations of content broadcastduring primetime exclusively. An EPG is configured to include an optionthat is selectable to display representations of content that areavailable via one or more channels grouped using one or morecharacteristics (block 802). For example, the option may be selectableto cause the EPG to output representations of content that is availablevia primetime exclusively. Primetime may be defined in a variety of waysand may differ based on geographic location, e.g., primetime in thecentral time zone may defined as between 7-10 whereas primetime in thePacific time zone may be defined as occurring between 8-11. Theconfigured EPG is then output (block 804).

For example, the option may be made available in the EPG 138, e.g., viaselection in a drop-down menu, a display of a button, a key combination,and so on. The option, when selected, may cause the EPG 138 to excluderepresentations of content that is not available via a broadcast duringprimetime at the client 104, e.g., as indicated by the EPG data 116. Forinstance, the access module 130 in conjunction with the EPG module 132may configure the EPG 138 to output representations of content that isto be broadcast between the hours of 7 and 11 p.m. to the client 104. Inthis way, a user may readily navigate the representations of contentthat are more likely to be of interest to the user as targeted by anetwork operator (e.g., an operator of the head end 102) and/or thecontent provider 106. As previously described, a variety of otherlogical groupings are also contemplated. For example, options may beoutput to filter the EPG data 116 to display representations of contentsuch as daytime soap operas, late-night talk shows, and so on aspreviously described in relation to FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 depicts a procedure 900 in an example implementation in which auser interface is configured to include a single representation ofmatching content that is available via a plurality of sources. Adetermination is made that a client has access to matching content froma plurality of different sources (block 902). For example, as previouslydescribed the client 104 may have access to a high-definition channel202 and a standard0defintiion channel 204 from a head end 102. Theclient 104 may also have access to the matching content from differentproviders, such as an “over the air” broadcast, cable, satellite,video-on-demand (VOD).

An electronic program guide is configured to include a singlerepresentation of the matching content (block 904) such that managementmay be performed as to which of the plurality of sources is used toobtain the matching content in response to a selection of therepresentation. Thus, this management may be performed dynamically inresponse to the selection.

For example, a user may select a representation of a particular sportingevent that is available from a variety of sources, such as anover-the-air broadcast, via VOD, and via different channels from a headend 102 (e.g., standard and high definition), and so on. The accessmodule 130 may then manage which stream will be sued to provide thecontent represented in the EPG, such as whether a stream is available(e.g., the household example above), based on cost, capabilities of theclient 104, and so on. Further, this management may be performeddynamically in response to the request to address changingconsiderations, e.g., whether an HD stream has become available in ahousehold. A variety of other examples are also contemplated.

CONCLUSION

Although the invention has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarilylimited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specificfeatures and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing theclaimed invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method implemented by a client device, themethod comprising: determining hardware and software contentcapabilities of the client device; outputting a representation ofcontent that is available via a plurality of different sources at a sametime; selecting, in response to a user selection of the representation,one of the plurality of different sources to be used to obtain thecontent, wherein the selecting is based at least in part on thedetermined capabilities of the client device and availability of theplurality of different sources when the user selection is received; andresponsive to a particular source becoming available, automaticallyaccessing the particular source when it becomes available.
 2. A methodas described in claim 1, wherein the determining of the hardware andsoftware content capabilities of the client device is performed byquerying a driver.
 3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein theplurality of different sources includes different channels from a headend.
 4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the determining of thehardware and software content capabilities of the client device isperformed by locating a preconfigured identifier that indicates thecapabilities of the client device.
 5. A method as described in claim 1,wherein the content is available via standard definition and highdefinition.
 6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the content isa matching media asset.
 7. A non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving instructions thereon for storing a series of media assets, theinstructions comprising: instructions for generating for display a mediaguidance application having a mode such that when a representation of amedia asset is selected for storing, the media asset is stored and aseries that includes the media asset is automatically selected forstoring when in the mode.
 8. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumas described in claim 7, wherein the representation of the media assetis selectable via an input to cause the storing of the series.
 9. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim 7, whereinthe mode is a default mode of the media guidance application.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim 7, whereinthe media guidance application includes another mode that is selectableto cause the selected media asset to be stored and not the series. 11.The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim 7,further comprising instructions for causing a confirmation to bedisplayed to confirm that the series is to be stored.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim 7, furthercomprising instructions for causing an option to be displayed to rankthe series in relation to one or more other series that are scheduled tobe stored to resolve storing conflicts.
 13. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having instructions thereon for a contentsource, the instructions comprising: instructions for determininghardware and software capabilities of a client device; instructions forcausing a media guidance application to output a representation ofcontent that is available via a plurality of different sources at a sametime; instructions for selecting, in response to a user selection of therepresentation, one of the plurality of different sources to be used toobtain the content, wherein the selecting is based at least in part onthe determined capabilities of the client device and availability of theplurality of different sources when the user selection is received; andinstructions for, responsive to a particular source becoming available,automatically accessing the particular source when it becomes available.14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim13, wherein the instructions for causing the media guidance applicationto output a representation of content causes the media guidanceapplication to output representations of content available duringprimetime.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as describedin claim 13, wherein the instructions for causing the media guidanceapplication to output a representation of content causes the mediaguidance application to output representations of late night talk shows,daytime talk shows, children's programming, or newly-broadcast content.16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim13, wherein the representation of the content is selectable to cause thecontent to be recorded.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumas described in claim 13, wherein the representation is of a media assetand is selectable to store a series that includes the media asset. 18.The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in claim 17,wherein the selection of the series is configured to cause a media assetthat is not currently represented by the media guidance application tobe stored.
 19. A system comprising: a client device comprising aprocessor configured to: determine hardware and software contentcapabilities of the client device; output a representation of contentthat is available via a plurality of different sources at a same time;select, in response to a user selection of the representation, one ofthe plurality of different sources to be used to obtain the content,wherein the selecting is based at least in part on the determinedcapabilities of the client device and availability of the plurality ofdifferent sources when the user selection is received; and responsive toa particular source becoming available, automatically access to theparticular source when it becomes available.
 20. A system as describedin claim 19, wherein the processor is configured to determine thehardware and software content capabilities of the client device byquerying a driver.
 21. A system as described in claim 19, wherein theplurality of different sources includes different channels from a headend.
 22. A system as described in claim 19, wherein the processor isconfigured to determine the hardware and software content capabilitiesof the client device by locating a preconfigured identifier thatindicates the capabilities of the client device.
 23. A system asdescribed in claim 19, wherein the content is available via standarddefinition and high definition.